47-year-old found dead under California waterfall after trying to save family dogs

A man rushed into the base of a waterfall to rescue two of his family’s dogs, but he was pulled under by the current, California deputies said.

Robert Lewis, a 47-year-old from Montague, was visiting Shackleford Falls on Saturday, June 4, with his dogs and wife, according to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office.

Two of his family’s dogs needed help at the base of the waterfall, so Lewis went in after them. His wife saw him get swept under the water by a strong current. He didn’t resurface, deputies said.

Rescuers started to search for Lewis during the daylight hours on June 4, the sheriff’s office said. Once it got dark, they suspended the search for the day and restarted it the morning of Sunday, June 5.

“During a continued search, a water search canine provided by Siskiyou County Search and Rescue signaled the area of the pool at the base of the waterfall where Lewis was believed to have drowned,” deputies said.

Divers couldn’t search the water in that area because it had rained overnight, making the water flow unsafe, according to the sheriff’s office. However, rescuers used other recovery tools to find Lewis.

At about 1:50 p.m. June 5, Lewis was found dead underwater. His body was recovered by the sheriff’s office’s dive team, deputies said.

Shackleford Falls is a small waterfall found at the end of a short trail. People will swim in the pool below it during the summer, according to tourist website Discover Siskiyou.

This story was originally published June 7, 2022 at 9:59 AM with the headline "47-year-old found dead under California waterfall after trying to save family dogs."